Sanchit MullickAssociate Vice President and Global Head of Sales for AI and Automation Services, Infosys

A Window to the Future Workplace

If you go back twenty years, the technology we had at our workplace was far superior to what we used in our personal lives. However, today the tables have turned. My personal devices are far superior to my workplace devices and one of the key reasons is the mammoth undertaking that organizations have to take just to remain current on technology platforms and devices. Let’s talk about one of the most fundamental software pieces we use at work. The Operating System (OS). Specifically, Windows because even while it is thirty-three years old, it is still the most popular OS for desktops.

With ten major version updates, Windows has managed to keep pace with workplace modernization. But does it cater to the new millennial employee or the workplace transformation strategy of the new digital enterprise? With ‘Windows as a Service’, upgrades are no longer an evil necessity but a background process that can be managed with ease.

Stopping to Change the Tires

In the digital world, employees take technology for granted. They expect the latest tools as part of their work environment to help them work better and faster. Not just that, digital makes them impatient and demanding. They seek new features and functionalities as they find new needs or areas of improvement in the workspace and they are not willing to wait for years. They also don’t like being interrupted…..they hate to stop to change old tires.

Similarly, a digital enterprise would rather avoid a full scale upgrade project for something as unassuming as an OS, when they could actually be spending the time on something that brings more value.

Unfortunately, every few years, the IT department is compelled to send out mails to employees asking them to switch over to a new version of the OS. Teams complain through weeks of migration.

So how would it be if the system could be updated on a continuous basis with minimum interruption and more frequent updates.

Windows as a Service for Non-Stop Employee Engagement and Productivity

In any digital transformation, the ‘as a service’ model has worked well when it comes to using hardware and software. The use of Windows and the related workplace technologies is now available as a service, enabling organizations to modernize their workplace on a continuous basis with maximum security and the best user experience.

Traditionalists may argue about the good old days of buying and forgetting a software product for years before the next version change came along. But in a world that’s changing by the minute because of new demands and possibilities, moving to a technology that allows you to not just add new features more rapidly and frequently but also lets you participate by way of testing and providing feedback opens the door to new opportunities.

The rise of multiple devices, hacking incidents, need for data-driven insights, flexibility in communication and easy management capabilities call for an intelligent and integrated workplace technology.

Unfortunately, while Windows as a service absolves companies of driving time consuming upgrade projects, it still requires managing the upgrade as a process. Organizations need to think about managing the frequent releases and rollouts, application compatibility and impact, and change governance and management. The Windows 10 & Office 365 Pro Plus continuous servicing has to be managed as a seamless process for organizations with a well-defined governance and change management. Fortunately, that’s a lesser challenge that can be addressed by collaborating with the right technology partner.

To know more about how you can modernize your workplace landscape on a continuous basis, look out for our upcoming Infosys PoV on Windows as a Service at Infosys.com.